Thursday, May 23rd

Weekend What’s What: 5/23-5/26

by staff

This Memorial Day weekend is not all about going up north to the cabin or backyard barbecues. The Twin Cities still has plenty of can’t-miss art, music, parties and happenings. Get gussied up for the annual Forever Young Prom at First Avenue. Hit the green at the Walker’s popular Artist-Designed Mini Golf in the Sculpture Garden. Celebrate local and national hip hop at the season’s first outdoor music festival, Soundset. And that’s not to mention all the great art, music and dance parties happening. Whatever you do, eat, drink, be merry, and pay tribute to those who fought for our hard-won freedoms.

Where other than the Walker will you find a mini golf course featuring garden gnomes masquerading as foosball strikers, or a scale model of a French chateau? Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, the Walker’s 2013 edition of the artist-designed course, co-presented by mnartists.org, will open for the summer this Thursday. For all the golf pros out there, they’ve included contours mapped from the course at the legendary Augusta National Golf Club…and there’s at least one hole with a kitschy, oversize watering can. Two of the holes were even designed and produced by students from a public sculpture class at the University of Minnesota, led by artist Chris Larson. Tickets are reasonable, and even include one free gallery admission, so grab your family/friend/significant other, and experience the art that is mini golf. –Maggie LaMaack

Pete Driessen’s TuckUNDER Projects returns for a second season of programming, and what was once an exhibition project located in the artist’s home garage is now creeping into the rest of the house. Hopes are high this season, as alternative galleries are increasingly relevant (Michelle Grabner, who operates The Suburban from her house outside of Chicago will be curated the Whitney Biennal this year). In addition to Jeremy Szopinski’s The Thousandfold Principle opening in the garage (see more on that below), Driessen’s bathroom has even become a separate gallery, which will feature work by Minneapolis-based Noah Harmon (who also goes by the art moniker Relaxadult). The always playful Harmon, who named the event specifically as a Facebook joke (when I RSVP’d for the event, my feed reported that “Nathaniel Smith is going to Have Fun!”) says, “Themes explored in [my] work include but are not limited to: relaxing, enjoyment, creeps, hotties, champions, rock & roll. The work is informed by pop culture, travel, television, and the supernatural.” He is also a member of the #cruelschool. -Nathaniel Smith

Home gallery TuckUNDER Projects presents the work of painter, printmaker and visual artist Jeremy Szopinski in The Thousandfold Principle, a series of abstract paintings representing the tensions of opposing formal and thematic forces. With a nod to the religious iconography of the old masters, the paintings use abstracted forms to engulf, distort and overwhelm figural images. Using quotations from a televangelist as a point of inspiration, Szopinski suggest both violence and religious ecstasy, belief and doubt in this dynamic and ambitious exhibition of work. -Anthony Enright

It may be clichéd to call nature a work of art, but this could not be more true for Minnesotans after the winter we’ve endured. Case in point: TuckUNDER’s debut of Look (again) Residency: Sunflower Revolution. As part of the home gallery’s triple opening on Thursday, the low tech/High Joy Collaborative – metalworker Marlaine Cox and painter Karen Kasel – present their five-month exterior project residency that incorporates Cox’ metalworking background via multiple metal lens-scoping devices that peer onto the yard, combining participatory placemaking activity throughout the growing season. -Jahna Peloquin

“Talk Back: Open Dialogues on the New Minnesota Museum of American Art”

@ MMAA Project Space
Pioneer Building
332 N Robert St
St. Paul

4-6 pm / Free

The Minnesota Museum of American Art is hosting a series of community dialogues on the reestablishment of the new Minnesota Museum of American Art (MMAA) in St. Paul. The second dialogue in the series, Thursday’s talk will deal with design, and feature VJAA Architects principals Vince James and Jennifer Yoos. The two will lead a conversation about how architectural design ideas can impact the new MMAA, and they want you to be there to voice your opinions. The final presentation next week will discuss openness and diversity in community cultural offerings. -Maggie LaMaack

6:30-9 pm reception / Free
On view through August 29, by appointment only

Sculpture artist Judy Onofrio believes working with animal bones makes her “increasingly aware of their organic beauty and the life they once supported.” Her latest celebration of organic beauty features a select group of new sculptures picked to define her evolving body of work. Excavating bones from nearby farms, using gifts from friends and purchasing exotic skeletal remains, Onofrio has collected a resource of animal bones for her artwork. Straying from her previous work which featured a multitude of color and embellishment, this round of sculptures displays a stripped down, raw beauty with minimal use of color. Definitely not to be missed! -Juleana Enright

Live Letters presents: An Evening With Friends hosted by Bethany Larson

@ Live Letters Loft
(address revealed upon ticket purchase)

7 pm / All ages / $10

The awesomely-curated Live Letters series continues with a “songwriters in the round” evening. Hosted by Bethany Larson, who will be performing with her Bees Knees (their music is country-tinged but reminds me a lot of early Throwing Muses as well, at least in tone), the evening is a veritable who’s who of local singer-songwriters, including a couple of our favorites – Dan Israel (who we just reviewed last week) and Lydia Hoglund from Bomba De Luz, who is still not even drinking age (or voting age) but can write circles around just about anybody you’d care to stack her up against, ass well as Niki Becker and Reina Del Cid. As always, an intimate way to enjoy your music. -Jon Hunt

As Don Draper sinks further into the depths of whatever dark transformation he’s currently involved in, we can’t help but wonder what actually became of the high rolling stars of Madison Avenue’s heyday. New documentary film Bert Stern: Original Mad Man provides a revealing look at the life and career of original “bad-boy” photographer and cultural icon Bert Stern. After working alongside Stanley Kubrick at Look Magazine, Stern became a Madison Avenue icon, his images helping to create modern advertising as well as solidify the concept of “star” photographer. Chronicling both his meteoric rise to photographing the world’s most alluring women (Audrey Hepburn, Bridgette Bardot, Liz Taylor and Marilyn Monroe all came under his lens) as well as his dramatic fall from grace; the film is a wild story of self-creation, rise, fall and reinvention. A fascinating look at the real history of the “Golden Age of Advertising” that’s sure to thrill all of us Mad Men fans. -Anthony Enright

I’m cagey about drafting out a plot synopsis for Upstream Color not because of potential spoilers, but because, much like a fairly good chunk of people who’ve seen it, I’m not quite sure what the hell it’s about. Taken together with the low-fi time travel thriller Primer, Carruth obviously feels life in all of its delicate and infinitesimal particulars, with infinite variations between the grain of replayed history where no recorded moment is exactly duplicated, such as it is in a digital terrain where visual information is received by the camera as data or binary code. Even if you’ll end up despising it, I don’t think I can recommend another film with as much urgency to see on a big screen, if for nothing else than its one-of-a-kind aura as an experience. -Niles Schwartz

The only game show based in the Twin Cities, The $50 Pyramid is a deliciously drunken riff of the classic game show The $25,000 Pyramid. The brain child of local raconteur and host Ian Rans, Pyramid is a wickedly fun way to spend the evening. And in true Pyramid style, the contestants ae aided by local celebrities providing the clues; in this case it’s acclaimed local photographer and CakeIn15 founder Stacy Schwartz and burlesque sensation Tomahawk Tassels. -Todd O’Dowd

The Jerome Emerging Printmakers Exhibition is nine months in the making and features the work of Jonas Criscoe, David Frohlich and Caitlin Warner, a trio of mixed media artists whose work ranges from collages to repurposed vending machines. It is the result of both ten years of generous support from the Jerome Foundation that has provided artists the opportunity to work in a supportive studio environment and the hard work of this year’s recipients (the vending machine we mentioned before—it dispenses miniature screenprints, books and parcel boxes. Damn cool). Each artist also received nine months of critiques from local artists, so they’re probably prepared to handle any questions you have to throw at them opening night (because they’ll be there). But take it easy. We imagine creating work that serves as “interpretations of an oxymoron” and “a beautiful detritus,” as Jonas refers to his pieces, takes a lot of hard work. -Kate Smith

Get a glimpse of what this year’s crop of MFA candidates at the University of Minnesota have been up to while stocking up on affordable art at Friday’s open studio event at the Regis Center for Art on the U of M’s west bank campus. Everything from original artwork, prints and ceramics to art supplies will be up for grabs, and priced to sell. See what these students work and play while taking home a few goodies for yourself. -Staff

Paulo and Vittorio Taviani have titled their new film Caesar Must Die, and he must die. The soothsayer makes that much clear. The causality and motives swirling around the “mustiness” leave us with the confusion of what it means to be a living and aware human being, the essential truth within Shakespeare’s poetry and drama. Caesar Must Die opens with those last moments from the play, of Brutus’ suicide and Antony’s subsequent oratory. The players take a bow for an applauding bourgeois audience that begins to filter outside, satisfied. But then we see that the actors, who did fine and passionate work on stage, are inmates held a high security Italian prison. The Tavianis, who began as journalistic filmmakers in the 1950s, have cast real faces, but we’re not sure what we’re seeing is documentary and what’s staged. The performers are so effectively convincing that it’s hard to see them as amateurs, just as it’s hard to see them as anything other than real life prisoners. The actor playing Brutus (Salvatore Striano) rehearses lines as a cellmate listens. “Don’t trust anyone, noble actor,” the other man says. “I did, and look what happened to me.” -Niles Schwartz

What a fabulous idea for a night. It’s surprising no one has thought to have a drag ball inspired by and centered around Divine, the legendarily filthy draw queen muse of film director John Waters (he of Pink Flamingos, Hairspray and more). Head on over to Lee’s on Friday night for a costume ball like no other featuring performances by Penny Royal, a down & dirty DJ set by DJ Tanner & Hunky Daddy, and a costume parade and walk like no other. Break out the sequins, slather on the warpaint, and leave the dog food and pistols at home. -Todd O’Dowd

Prom: was it the best night of your life or an absolute dumpster fire? Whatever way your prom experience (or lack of) was, you can do it again and maybe this time do it right, or better. Forever Young crawls out of the charmingly dank basement of the VFW and emerges sparkly and covered in ruffled taffeta at First Ave this Friday for Forever Young Prom, brought to you by Vita.mn and Radio K’s Eighth Grade Dance. Relive your glory or make up for a tear-soaked night of teenage misery with ’90s and early 2000s dance james, hosts MC Jacobs and Chris Cloud, and guest DJs Maychin, Foolproof and Young Baby. Don those sequins, satin, and ill-fitting polyester suits for a night full of promise and booze you don’t have to ask your older brother to buy. -Alicia Neubauer

Soul record nights have abounded in the Twin Cities as of late, but Hipshaker is one of the originals. The night, which called Jitters home before heading to its current digs at the Kitty Cat Klub, is still going strong, basking in the glow of its recent ten-year anniversary and a new switch from Thursday to Fridays. Expect the best in rare soul and R&B 45s spun by resident DJs Brian Engel and Greg Waletski along with guest DJ George Rodriguez. -Staff

Friday night kicks off the biggest weekend in hip hop in Minnesota, and downstairs NE lounge Honey is having a big dance party to celebrate. The Fifth Element, KFAI and Soundset have put together some of the best DJs of Soundset’s past and present to kick off the weekend into high gear. The night has a collection of DJs who have all been an integral part of the hip hop scene in the Twin Cities for many years and and some of the best and most experienced in town. With a group including DJ Espada of Want Vs. Needs, King Otto of RSE Radio, Verb X of Bungalow Sound System, and classic hip-hop DJ Dan Speak, it’s sure to be a night of varied sounds and genres coming together for one awesome party. -Danielle Morris

A collaboration with Northern Lights.mn, the fourth edition of Art(ists) on the Verge features new work by five Minnesota-based emerging new media artists. Presented by the Soap Factory, “AOV4 is an intensive, year-long, mentor-based fellowship program co-directed by Steve Dietz and Piotr Szyhalski fellowing artists working experimentally at the intersection of art, technology and digital culture with a focus on interactive practices.” This year’s on the Verge includes installation work by Chris Houltberg, large-scale landscape installation from Asia Ward, playful ruminations from Sarah Julson, space reflective pieces from the Mad King Thomas collective and intricate networks of computational and sculptural strategies from Anthony Warnick. Tonight, head to the Soap for an afternoon talk with participating artists Sarah Julson, Anthony Warnick and Asia Ward. -Juleana Enright

To paraphrase playwright Henrick Ibsen, “Ghosts!…I almost think we are all of us ghosts,” The haunting work in Final Reminders, Brooklyn-based artist Jessica Dickinson’s exhibition of large graphite rubbings made from the surfaces of her completed paintings, somehow brings that idea to mind. Clearly interested in exploring more than just a reductive view of her work, Dickinson here creates an eerie sense of loss along with a stark rumination on the shadows the process of artistic creation leave behind. The simplicity of these monochromatic rubbings forces your mind to imagine both how the original work may have appeared and also contemplate the choices made when creating the source material. Making art that’s essentially the ghost of previous creations may seem like a melancholy idea, but the works themselves have a hopeful and surprisingly rich tone that elevates the exhibit and gives it an unexpected gravitas. -Anthony Enright

We’re not sure if attending “An Evening with Outlaw Writers” makes you an audience member or an accessory to any number of misdemeanors, but here’s what we do know: poet, editor, eccentric and underground cultural icon Steven B. Smith and his surrealist photographer wife, the Lady K, will read from their new book, Stations of the Lost and Found: A True Story of Armed Robbery, Stolen Cars, Outsider Art, Mutant Poetry, Underground Publishing, Robbing the Cradle and Leaving Country. And when they’re done, Minneapolis’ own Paul Singleton and Scott Vetsch will read from books with much more succinct titles (a lesser-crime, in our eyes, than the Smiths’ exhaustive one), The Punk Rock Bible and Hauling Ass: Cab Driving Poems, respectively. The evening is rounded out by host and poet-anarchist Christopher Shillock (who “writes in three languages and translates poetry in seven”) and work by François Villon (a French thief who was sent to the gallows three times). What happens after that, well, save it for the memoirs, and perhaps next time you’ll be the one reading. -Kate Smith

Don’t miss the fifth yearly installment of Memory Lanes’ Block Party, which will include an eclectic mix of 15 local bands, DJs and musicians. Rapper Sean Anonymous will team up with indie rock band Dream Crusher, while Lucy Michelle and the Velvet Lapelles, L’Assassins, Southside Desire and Davina and the Vagabonds provide some femme to the festivities. The Sex Rays, Teenage Moods, the Brass Messengers, and Crankshaft, plus burlesque acts, DJ sets from Hotpants and Hipshaker soul vinyl DJs, and much more. Ian Rans of Drinking with Ian infamy will host Saturday and the Current’s David Campbell will take on Sunday’s hosting duties. Despite the questionable weather of late, this event is rain or shine, so don’t even try to use that as an excuse. Oh, and if you just can’t wait until Saturday, a pre-Block Party party will go down at 10 pm on Friday. -Alicia Neubauer

Erik Hess is one of the nicest guys you will meet out and about on the music scene in the Twin Cities. He is also a talented photographer, capturing some of the best moments in live music that happens in the city. Sadly, Erik has a rare medical disorder that’s expensive to keep up with, so his friends in the music community got together to throw a great benefit. There is a silent auction from 7 to 9 pm, with items from several local artists and businesses including tickets to First Ave shows, followed by a rock show featuring some of the best in the TC music scene. The group includes the public debut of the new electronic project from husband-and-wife musicians Christian Erickson and Janey Winterbauer, the Sevateem, plus latin-jazz teen band Bomba De Luz, Wizards are Real and Aby Wolf in the Clown Lounge. The main stage features sets from Street Hassle, the punk-spewing The Goondas, a SUPER SPECIAL GUEST (be excited, it’s a good one) and Mark Mallman. DJs Lady Heat (of which yours truly is a member) and Ander Other, as well as hosts Ian Rans and Mike Fotis, keep things moving between sets. It’s a not-to-be-missed show for a great cause. -Danielle Morris

Ex-Nuns have been playing, ah, a lot recently, and have maybe suffered a bit from overexposure, but they are a tremendously great band whether you’ve seen ’em once or 20 times. Their assault is absolutely brutal – imagine a less-friendly, thrashier Sonic Youth with a Peter Murphy vocal attack and you’re halfway there. They seem like they dropped out of 1993 in some ways, and that’s an absolutely great thing. For the last night of their month-long Saturday night residency, the band fittingly plays a full set of Nirvana covers. -Jon Hunt

Naughty faces off with nice at this weekend’s “Heroes & Villains” variet show from local burlesque troupe Toil & Trouble. The show presents scandalous versions of iconic good and evil characters. It scored quite the coup with booking its headlining act, New York’s self-proclaimed “sexy nerd” Mary Cyn, with additional national acts including Kami Oh of the award-winning Chicago Starlets and Chicago’s 4’3″ powerhouse Viva Le Muerte. Local talent includes Musette the Mistress of Mischief, Mona Montague, Nikki Knickers and Opium Hayze. -Staff

Al Church’s Dear Data play a far more organic blend o’ stuff than their name suggests – their music, from the one demo they’ve recorded thus far, is very much in the mold of The National (stripped-down guitars, throbbing beats) but with Yasmina Moore-Foster’s gorgeously throaty vocals over top, which lifts it far above yer standard indie. It’s super-interesting stuff, and Al Church’s bands never disappoint (see also: Al Church and State). Proofreader, meanwhile, describe themselves as R&B, and while I think their sound is actually closer to electronic-fueled indie, it is definitely fascinating stuff, with gorgeous harmony vocals and tons of melody. And Small Cities come back from a long hiatus to play their brand of smart guitar-pop with tons of octave guitar riffs and great damn vocals. -Jon Hunt

Anybody predicting the imminent death of guitar music lately will have to answer to tonight’s lineup. Fury Things are pretty much as their name suggests – loud, potent, punky, angry, guitar-drenched stuff with tons of wit/verve. Deleter are Knol Tate’s latest deal, and pretty much anything he does is worth a look-in, sight unseen. As it happens, I have seen them – they’re terrific, with tons of angular guitar and a much more direct approach than the oft-cerebral Satellite Voices were. And it doesn’t get any more punky/furious than Rabbit Holes, who sound, at times, straight outta 1985 — you mighta heard ’em at Rifle Sport, if they were around in the day. Cool. -Jon Hunt

If you’re the sort of soul who’s more inclined to hit Austra than Rihanna on your Spotify and itching to show off your mastery of Robyn dance moves to someone besides your cat, look no further than newish monthly dance night BERLIN. Hosted by local DJ powerhouses Shannon Blowtorch and Lizzy Tymus, Berlin promises to be your answer to an “indie” queer-friendly monthly dance party. BERLIN will be serving up groove-tastic hot tracks from artists like Le Tigre, Crystal Castles, Peaches, MEN, Major Lazer, Amanda Black, Deadmou5, Siouxsie, Yelle and tons more, not to mention dubstep, mash-ups and bounce musak. No party rock anthems allowed! Oh yes, Top 40 can suck it. -Juleana Enright

Graphic designers/party lovers QX Collective host a night of local DJ magic and glamour. DJs Bach and WAK LYF’s Neuport co-headline BLACKOUT at Kitty Cat Klub, where black attire is highly encouraged. Black entire will, in fact, get you in for free. All told, the two DJs will surely encourage an elegant, all-out dance marathon. Rock out with your black out. -Staff

For the second edition of Jimmy 2 Times’ new residency at Honey, the Recipe, the Get Cryphy cohort and 2009 winner of “Best Club DJ” from City Pages will be on the decks all night in the swanky basement lounge, whipping up his signature blend of hip hop, R&B, ’90s jams and party classics. If you’re looking for somewhere to get sweaty and dance tonight, here’s your spot. -Staff

The crate-digging connoisseurs of Attitude City are at it again with their installation of music and mayhem. Join the one and only Jeff Dubois, back from trips to New York and Chicago with a load of new vinyl, for a night of delicious dance beats featuring an eclectic selection of disco, house, boogie, soul and italo. Surrounded by the decadent, old-world furnishings of Clubhouse Jäger and delicious drinks served up by one of the finest bar staffs in town, it’s a sure bet for a classy night of mingling, dancing and imbibing. This month’s guest DJ is E-Tones, who has been playing house music in Minneapolis since 1991 and is one of the most well-respected DJs in town. Drink specials all night include $4 Sobieski, sparkling wine and domestic taps. -Staff

Celebrated architect George Grant Elmslie is a touchstone for the intricate, organic and delicate side of the Prairie School of architecture. His subtle and deft integration of decorative arts into facades, interiors, furniture and various functional elements of architectural projects made him a sought after presence in the design world and an inspiration to generations of designers and artists. The MIA’s new exhibition of Elmsie’s work commemorates the 100-year anniversary of one of the MIA’s crown jewel pieces, Elmslie’s Purcell-Cutts House. The exhibition will focus on the architect’s masterful drawings as art objects in their own right, as well as documents of the collaborative process of producing organic architecture. Elmslie’s influence on the design landscape is difficult to overstate, so be sure to catch this exhibit sometime during the run this summer. -Anthony Enright

Skyfall is perfect for a Sunday rooftop movie. Not because of the rough ‘n sexy Bond incarnation of Daniel Craig, acclaimed director Sam Mendes, the Oscar winning Adele song, or even scene-stealing villain Javier Bardem, who does what he can to make this decent if overrated stride in the latest trilogy of James Bond adventures more engaging and prestigious than its camp legacy suggests. The real star of Skyfall is cinematographer Roger Deakins, the revered Coen brothers’ lenser who mercurially migrated from celluloid to digital here, his patient, painterly, though invigorating set-ups, in leisurely calm or the hot pot of action, sugarcoating the ridiculous Bond-origin goofiness tasty and making it tastily digestible even as its hopelessly dragged out. Deakins’ images are like a martini-soaked sensual hot-tub exercise in synchronized lovemaking under neon (or something), an opium hit that hypnotizes the central nervous system as Bond flies into the future but keeps on running into the past, as digital action moviemaking itself, profaned by the excessive guff of the Marvel franchises, reconciles with its analog and contemplative roots. In the numbing frazzle, what better than a luminary like Deakins to take us into a warm late-spring evening of cocktails and mild golden glows. -Niles Schwartz

Rhymesayers’ annual hip-hop fest Soundset is now something of an institution, featuring a slew of Rhymesayers acts, big name headliners and up-and-coming acts both local and national. The fest, which first began as a rave-inspired hip-hop show in a warehouse in 1997, has now grown to Minnesota’s biggest hip-hop festival that long outgrew the First Avenue Mainroom. Headlining this year’s lineup are Atmosphere, Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Brother Ali, P.O.S., Kid Koala, Aesop Rock and many more, with buzzworthy local supporting acts including Greg Grease, The Chalice and Mixed Blood Majority. -Staff

After Soundset, head back to Minneapolis for the Soundset Afterparty thrown by Get Cryphy at First Avenue. Hosted by Brother Ali, the night will feature Get Cryphy DJs Plain Ole Bill, Jimmy2Times, Fundo and Last Word, plus L.A.-based, Milwaukee-bred DJ Kid Cut Up, and special surprise Soundset guest performances. -Staff

Danceable electronic grooves are the theme of this Sunday night lineup at T-Rock. Headlining is Brooklyn chip-tuners Anamaguchi, which most infamously did the music for Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World, noted as one of the bigger bands in the chip-tuning rock world. The so-called “Nintendo pnks” also have remixes for the likes of Das Racist under their belt. Also on the lineup is Ann Arbor’s Chrome Sparks, the solo project of one Jeremy Malvin, whose background in classic percussion and synthesizer obsession informs his low-key yet danceable atmospheric compositions. Opening with an abbreviated “test” set is Brooklyn transplant Gordon Voidwell (né Will Johnson), lauded by Huffington Post touted as “New York’s Best Up-And-Comer”, who is hot off a recent partnership with Ralph Lauren for the release of his latest single “Ivy League Circus”. The groovy, sexy tune does well to justify comparisons of Voidwell to Prince – and his recent move to Minneapolis all too fitting. -Jahna Peloquin